Next Generation 911, or NG911, standards have been talked about for years now. If you’re a public safety official, you’re doubtless familiar with what the move to NG911 is concerned with: taking the current, telephone-based system and upgrading it to a digital one capable of sending and receiving SMS, video, and photos as well as audio.

This proposal is hardly controversial. What it does, after all, is bring the nation’s 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) up to the same standards and capabilities as the smartphones most of us carry around in our pockets. The real barriers to upgrading to NG911, as the New York Times noted in a Nov. 23 editorial, “The 911 System Isn’t Ready for the iPhone Era,” are cost and complexity.

Admittedly, these are not insignificant. Transitioning to a new 911 network is a daunting task, especially since the old network must be functional and active until the new one is ready to go. And replacing the current telephone system with a fully digital one will certainly be expensive.

However, as the editorial continues, those barriers must be overcome, whatever the difficulty. Across the country, 911 centers handle around 240 million calls per year. Many of those are from cell phones, and that number will only increase. 

For some callers, like those involved in home invasions or domestic violence situations, being able to text a cry for help to 911 instead of having to speak can mean a greater likelihood of the victim emerging unharmed. Likewise, being able to send a photo or video can help public safety agencies pinpoint a caller’s exact location or be better prepared when they arrive.

Another major benefit of NG911 is the ability to better handle overloads of calls during events like power outages, natural disasters, or terrorist attacks. NG911 also allows for a stronger defense against cybercrime, which is becoming more and more important as this type of crime increases in frequency.

However, it’s not only the technology that will have to change when PSAPs upgrade to an NG911 system. Operational procedures, funding models, training, and federal and state regulations will have to change or adapt as well.

One tool that PSAPs can use during this major transition is Verint Media Recorder for Public Safety. This workforce optimization solution supports the skills development that those working in PSAPs will need as they upgrade their systems to NG911.

Built on open architecture and using standard PC components, Verint Media Recorder for Public Safety offers voice and screen recording, analytics, training, scorecards, quality assurance, and citizen surveys in a single package.

This can be a great advantage for PSAPs working to train their staff on the new NG911 standards. The system offers eLearning capabilities, making training faster, more efficient, and more easily tailored to address a call taker’s skill gaps.

Supervisors can also use Verint Media Recorder to schedule and monitor individual coaching sessions with call takers. This can have a positive impact on staff retention, which is an important part of successfully transitioning to NG911. After all, PSAPs want to make sure they don’t lose their best people simply because those people aren’t being effectively trained on the new systems.

Also, as more and more baby boomers retire - and many PSAP supervisors and managers are of the baby boomer generation - PSAPs need to ensure that they’re investing in potential future supervisors and managers. Being better able to offer individualized, one-on-one coaching is one way to do this.

In addition to training, Verint Media Recorder allows for better investigative insights and incident reconstruction with its easy-to-use call search and retrieval functions.

The software can even help improve public safety agencies’ relationship with the communities they serve - it includes functionality for sending out citizen surveys as follow-ups after calls. Proactively sending these surveys can not only help the PSAPs better understand their own performance, but increase citizen confidence in their public safety agencies.

Upgrading to NG911 is a major task for any PSAP, but systems like Verint Media Recorder can help agencies ensure that the transition is a successful one. To learn more about what it means to transition to NG911, read the whitepaper Emergency Communications Training: Anticipating the Challenges of Next-Generation-9-1-1.

If you’d like to learn more about Verint Media Recorder or any of our other public safety software solutions, contact us today!